MANAGING THE SHEEP ENTERPRISE UNDER

DROUGHT CONDITIONS

Tracey Renelt, Extension Livestock Educator, Kingsbury

CountyJim Krantz, Extension Livestock

Educator, Miner CountyJeff Held, SDSU Extension Sheep

Spec.

MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES

• Destock

• Early wean

• Supplement

• Alternative feeds

““How much How much shouldshould I feed I feed my ewes?”my ewes?”

““What What shouldshould I feed to them I feed to them to meet their nutritional to meet their nutritional

requirements?requirements?

DEPENDS ON:

• Available forage:– Quantity

– Quality

– Economics

• Nutrient

requirements:– Stage of production

– Nutritional status

– Environment

EWE NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS EWE NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS

154 lb ewe (NRC, 1985)154 lb ewe (NRC, 1985)Stage of Production DM Intake TDNStage of Production DM Intake TDN CP CP

Maintenance 2.6 1.5 .25

Flushing 4.0 2.3 .36

Early Gest 3.1 1.7 .29

Late Gest. 4.0 2.3 .42

Lactation (single) 5.5 3.6 .73

Lactation (twin) 6.2 4.0 .92

• Winter grazing gestating ewes:– Protein more limiting than energy.– Energy supplements are cost effective when

ewes enter winter in good condition and ample forage.

– Protein supplements are cost effective for ewes in poor body condition and need to gain weight or with reduced forage intake.

• 0.33 lb of a 20% supplement• 0.20 lb of a 34% supplement

( Summary by Montana State Univ)

EWE WINTER FEEDING

CORN AS A SUBSTITUTE

• Forage supply is:

– Limited

– Unavailable

– Too costly

• Heavily dependant on economics• High fiber co-products may be

better for forage replacement

Grain

Alfalfa Hay

(60% TDN)

Brome Hay

(56% TDN)

Sorghum-Sudan Hay(56% TDN)

PrairieHay

(48% TDN)

Ear Corn(82% TDN)

1.4 1.5 1.5 1.7

Cracked Corn

(91% TDN)1.5 1.6 1.6 1.9

Whole Shelled

Corn(88% TDN)

1.4 1.6 1.6 1.8

(Values based on NRC, 1996)

CORN AS A SUBSTITUTE

VALUE

Hay $/tonEar

Corn(82% TDN)

Cracked Corn(91% TDN)

Whole Shelled Corn(88% TDN)

$/bu

40 1.73 1.92 1.86

60 2.60 2.88 2.79

80 3.47 3.85 3.72

100 4.33 4.80 4.65

120 5.20 5.77 5.58

(Values based on NRC, 1996)

Alternative Feeds in South Dakota

•Dry-milling corn by-products

•Wet-milling corn by-products

•Soybean hulls

•Beet pulp

•Wheat midds

Soybean Hulls- High fiber feedstuff which can make up

at least 50% of diet dry matter- Best utilized with a forage based ration- In 2002 a group of ewes at SDSU were

fed 5 lb of pelleted soyhulls + 1 lb of long stemmed hay

- Low- to medium-quality forage is needed to maintain rumen function and slow passage rate

Nutrient Composition:

Soybean Hulls

9.0 min.12.2Crude Protein (%)

38.0 max.Crude Fiber (%)

.55

.84

77.0

0.5 min.Crude Fat (%)

Calcium-High Phosphorus-moderate

NEg (Mcal/ lb)

NEm(Mcal/ lb)

TDN (%)

Soybean Hulls

Can replace corn on a one-to-one basis for ewes consuming low- and medium-quality forages

When fortified with protein, soybean hulls are an excellent energy supplement for low-quality forages

1 lb of hulls can replace:1.4 lb moderate-quality hay

Dry Milling Feed Products

• Distiller’s Grains (Wet or Dry)

• Thin Stillage (Sweet Water)

• Condensed Distiller’s Solubles (Syrup)

• Distiller’s Grains with Solubles (DDGS) (Wet or Dry)

DDGS -Safe feedstuff due to high fiber content

-Good source of essential nutrients

-Supplemental protein source for ewes

-lactation performance similar to SBM

-Energy density is equal to corn

-Recommended at 20% of dry matter intake for lactating dairy cows (max at 30%)

-Must consider economics

**Refer to ExEx 2022 for more management tips on feeding the ewe flock with limited forage availability. For sample rations use those in Table 4 and 5 ExEx 2022, substitute DDGS for SBM if desired.

DDGS Economics

• SBM vs DDGS for protein supplement– 44.8% vs 29% CP, $200 vs $105/ton

• Cost for SBM/lb CP (DM basis) = 22.3 cents• Cost for DDGS/lb CP (DM basis) = 19.1 cents

– (Assume 90% Dry Matter)

– To offer a ewe an additional 0.2 lb/day of CP (DM basis) it would require:• SBM= 0.45lb (As-fed basis) = 0.045 cents• DDGS= 0.70lb (As-fed basis) = 0.039 cents

– For a 154 lb ewe fed 6 lb of feed (4% of body weight) during lactation the DDGS would make up 12.5 % of the ration. Well within the recommended feeding level.

Recommendations for DDGS use in the ewe flock

Late Gestation (154 lb ewes)- add 0.1 lb (DM) of crude protein = 0.37 lb DDGS (similar to recommendations for winter grazing research at Montana State Univ.)

Lactation (154 lb ewes)- add 0.2 lb (DM) of crude protein = 0.75 lb DDGS-Rear twin bearing ewes separate and use best forage to improve milk production/lamb survival. The crude protein needs and energy needs are much higher compared to single bearing ewes.-By using DDGS for protein supplementation it also is serving to replace some forage. Since the energy is similar to corn, for every 1lb of DDGS replaces 1.4 lb or more hay. (See substitution table in slide 8)

Nutrient Composition

NutrientCorn grain

Soybean meal

CDS DDGS

DM, % 89 90 25-30 85-90

CP, % 9 48 10-15 25-32

Fat, % 4 2 5-10 10-15

Will vary by:

Differences in type, hybrid, and quality of the grain

Efficiency of starch conversion

Differences in processing techniques

Minerals - DDGS

• Low calcium

• High phosphorus

• High potassium

• High sulfur

Wet Milling Feed Products

• Corn gluten feed (wet or dry)

• Corn gluten meal (dry)

• Corn germ (dry)

• Steep liquor (wet)

Corn Gluten Feed

Nutrient Wet CGF Dry CGF

DM (%) 42-44 90-92

Crude protein (%) 14-22 21-22

NEm (Mcal/lb) .96-.99 .87

NEg (Mcal/lb) .65 .57

TDN (%) 90 78

Fat (%) 3.0-5.0 2.0-3.3

Crude fiber (%) 7.0-8.4 8.0-8.4

Corn Gluten Feed

• Good protein and energy source for cattle on low- or medium-quality forages

• Relatively high in UIP (75%)

• Hay serve as a roughage source in growing diets (up to 40% of diet DM)

Beet Pulp

• Can replace 15 to 25% of forage DM

• Dried beet pulp can be included up to 35% of dietary DM

• Higher levels will reduce intake, but feed efficiency will be similar

Beet Pulp

Nutrient Wet Beet Pulp

DM (%) 28.0

Crude protein (%) 9.21

NEm (Mcal/lb) 0.80

NEg (Mcal/lb) 0.52

TDN (%) 74.1

Crude fiber (%) 18.2High calciumLow phosphorus

• Excellent source of protein (DIP) and energy

• Highly digestible fiber

• Generally a safe feedstuff due to high fiber characteristics

• Nice addition to creep diets– Storage is a concern

Wheat Midds

Wheat Midds

Nutrient Wheat Midds

DM (%) 87-90

Crude protein (%) 17-20

NEm (Mcal/lb) .82-.85

NEg (Mcal/lb) .50

TDN (%) 72-74

Fat (%) 3.5-3.8

Crude fiber (%) 10.5-11.2

CONSIDERATIONS

• Product consistency

• Freight

• Handling

– Cubes, cakes, pellets, meal

• Minerals

– Ca:P, S

SUMMARY

• Consider objectives:

– Quality and quantity of available forage

– Economics

– Nutrient requirements of ewes

• Consider feeding alternative feeds

• Analyze feeds for nutrients and safety

• Remember water quality is critical

NITRATES• Converted to nitrites

• Interferes with hemoglobin

• Leads to asphyxiation

• Symptoms:

– Rapid pulse

– Quickened respiration

– Staggers/apparent blindness

– Abortions

NITRATES

• Depends on degree of fertilization

• Generally found low in plant– 0” – 12” – extremely high– 12” – 24” – low to moderately high

• Ensiling, but not curing, will help

reduce levels– 20-60% reduction if properly ensiled– Be aware of silo gasses!

NITRATES

• Don’t harvest for 5 days after most

recent rain

• Alfalfa, timothy, brome, and native

grasses are apparently not affected

• Supplement vitamin A

• Check water!

Nitrate Nitrogen Comment

0.00 - 0.10 Safe to feed

0.10 - 0.15Safe for non-pregnant; < 50% of DM for pregnant

0.15 – 0.20< 50% of DM for all; use caution for pregnant

0.20 – 0.35< 40% of DM for non-pregnant; do not feed to pregnant

0.35 – 0.40< 25% of DM for non-pregnant; do not feed to pregnant

> 0.40 Toxic – do not feed

USING HIGH HITRATE FEEDS

• Toxicity is related to amount and rate of

ingestion

• Accumulator plants include:

– Oat (wheat) hay, sudangrass and sorghums,

corn stalks, crop residue

– Kochia, pigweed, pigeon grass, thistle• Contact your county educator to have samples

analyzed for nitrogen nitrate level and forage

quality

MORE INFORMATION

• http://ars.sdstate.edu/extbeef

• http://sdces.sdstate.edu/drought

• http://www.state.sd.us/doa/drought.htm

• County extension educator offices